Lead Story | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Black River Lantern by Alex Grass

A surreal carnival of horrors, Black River Lantern by Alex Grass is a genre-spanning novel of dangerous powers, cruel fathers, and the secrets that shape our lives.

The Maravicos Carnival is a legendary institution in the town of Kayjigville, but so is the temper and ambition of Papa Maravicos, who will do anything to keep the family business thriving. After escaping from his father’s never-ending cycle of abuse and pain, Eddie Maravicos is dragged back to this torturous circus, armed with the surprising new power to read minds. It doesn’t take long for his father to capitalize on this new […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-10-23T07:13:13+02:00October 23rd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Just Buy Her a Dress and She’ll Be Fine by Amanda Dodson Gremillion

The emotionally charged yet sensible treatise, Just Buy Her a Dress and She’ll Be Fine by Amanda Dodson Gremillion, is the moving story of postpartum depression and OCD as it played out in the author’s own life, and how that became a medium for guiding others.

Gremillion’s mental distress seemed to begin when she had her first child. She and her husband Jay had met in their early teens, courted for ten years, and married – happily, at first. Both wanted a child and when their daughter Aubrie Lynn was born, she was welcomed.

Soon afterwards, the problems set in. […]

SPR2020-10-19T03:28:30+02:00October 13th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Health Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews, Parenting Book Reviews|

Review: The Commander by Dan E. Hendrickson

Author Dan E. Hendrickson unleashes a wild and exhilarating ride with The Commander, an unpredictable high seas thriller in the Gulf of Mexico. Armed with enough action to satisfy those seeking a fictional adventure, but also plenty of rich character development and well-penned relationships, this is an unexpectedly complex read.

At the helm of this novel is Commander Jacob Edwards, a tough-as-nails captain of the First Responder, who suddenly finds himself deadheading into an international crisis. Juggling loyalties, national secrecy, and the lives of his men, this Coast Guard captain has a full plate of action that never seems […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-10-02T02:42:47+02:00October 1st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Was Michael Jackson Murdered? You Be the Judge by Everett Watson

Author Everett Watson peels back the mysterious events surrounding the King of Pop’s death in Was Michael Jackson Murdered? You Be the Judge, suggesting in no uncertain terms that foul play was undeniably involved.

Despite this globe-shaking death being classified as a drug overdose, the case is complicated by the involvement of Dr. Conrad Murray, the star’s trusted at-home doctor and the administer of MJ’s treatments. The author lays out his belief, based on extensive personal research and the synthesis of court documents and trial testimony, that Murray perpetrated premeditated murder after his underhanded, self-serving manipulation of Jackson was discovered.[…]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-10-06T03:08:58+02:00September 30th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Biography Book Reviews|

Review: The Art of Making Bread by The Editors of CakeChatter

A consortium of enthusiastic cooks have contributed to this lively look at baking just about any kind of bread you can think of, with recipes designed for real people, and a generous helping of commentary, jokes, poems, and added information, in The Art of Making Bread: An Anthology of Thirty, Down-Home Bread Baking Recipes!

Second in the Dough-Punchers eBook Series from CakeChatter, The Art of Making Bread invokes the past – both the cowboy cooks who fed the hard-working cattle herders, and Grandma, with an apron tied securely around her voluminous long skirts. Each of the thirty recipes was […]

SPR2020-09-23T04:46:59+02:00September 23rd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Home & Garden Book Reviews|

Review: The Art Stone by Jesse A. Ellis

An unlikely group of young heroes converges for an epic quest to defend an ancient artifact in The Art Stone by Jesse A. Ellis, the first book of the Echoes of Elybion series. In classic fantasy fashion, the stakes are infinitely high, and the odds of success are incredibly slim.

The transformation of these adolescent characters over the course of the novel is remarkable; managing a coming-of-age story for multiple main players is ambitious, but Ellis pulls it off well. As their mystical world continues to crumble, a long-lost stone – one of the first twelve creation stones from the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-16T09:08:44+02:00September 15th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives by Tim Darcy Ellis

Steeped in court drama, forbidden love, and the tension of dark history, The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives is the swirling, beautifully penned new novel from Tim Darcy Ellis. Based largely on true events and figures, this intense tale shines a new light on the motives and machinations of English royalty in the mid-16^th century.

Juan Luis Vives, a “New Christian” fleeing from the shadow of the Spanish Inquisition, and the anti-Semitism that flowed so freely in the 1500s, is trying to survive and stay outside of suspicion in Bruges. A chance encounter with Sir Thomas More upends […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-24T07:10:10+02:00September 3rd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Happiness Journal by Viet Hung

Author and entrepreneur Viet Hung offers an engaging collection of astute observations, motivations, and encouragements aimed at promoting a calmer, more enlightened perspective in The Happiness Journal.

As Hung reminds us in his Foreword, throughout our lives, we generally “plan to get one thing done, but then usually something different happens.” To accept the ever-changing array of events requires inner preparedness. Hung believes this can often be achieved through the practice of self-examination and mindfulness. The helpful selections he has chosen were originally composed for himself – mostly short essays or commentaries – divided into three sections: “Sensing Happiness,” […]

SPR2020-09-03T02:51:06+02:00September 2nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Self-Help Book Reviews|